The preceding posts do an excellent job of discussing how technology can, and likely will, re-frame the way we think about teaching and learning as well as where it will take place. As the timetable that Lisa provided confirms, these sweeping changes are not decades down the road but, rather, perhaps minutes.
Michael Horn
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| Source: www.youtube.com |
Michael Horn, co-founder of the Clayton Christenson Institute and co-author of Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools, believes that technology will "end the classroom factory model of education" and lead to "more personalized learning"(Horn, 20015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQMkCgSo9i4). He advocates game-based classroom environments and contends that we will have to move beyond traditional institutions, credentialing will have to evolve, assessments will have to become more organic, and regulations will have to become more outcome-based (Horn, 2015). In a sense, his siren call for disruptive innovation is a virtual repackaging of what Neil Postman pleaded for back in 1971 in his book Teaching as a Subversive Activity. Only this time the educational insurgency will enter classrooms via USB ports instead of the hallway door.
Silicone Valley's Raj Dhingra embraces many of Horn's basic principles, such as blended learning, and makes the case that technology can "tear down walls" and "unlock the power of student-centered learning (Dhingra, 2012). Programs that infuse money into education, and even technology itself, if not implemented wisely, will not result in better education for students (Dhingra, 2012). In his TEDBlend talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0s_M6xKxNc), he explores several "myths" in education including the notion that increasing Internet access and simply parking computers in classrooms will improve learning. To Dhingra, training is the key (Dhingra, 2012).
For a quick-draw on the challenges of technology, an excellent source is Paul Hamilton's YouTube video "Technology and Education" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXyCECMxhOs&ebc=ANyPxKr_iIHperyrcQxAXM67OL8Et7IUquHBJCQjc3mFtSJ_ZC3EaHJl8viVtan5BJ0L7mGlAXmeSeJh-XPnjSKJ4NXm071WGg). Hamilton founded the company Learning Technologies and has published widely on the subject of integrating applications into curriculum and teaching. Borrowing from a central premise of the work of John Dewey, Hamilton posits that educators must ask themselves: "What world will my students enter and what tools will they need to be successful in it?" (Hamilton, 2012).
While I certainly go along with the inevitability of technology saturating our educational curriculum and pedagogy in the coming years, and I see the many advantages of synchronous and asynchronous learning communities, I cannot help but have some reservations that are best summarized by an experience that I had this weekend.
One or twice a year, since the 1980's, I have faithfully gone to the Durham County Public Library Book Sale. The books, discontinued by the library and/or donated by patrons, cost no more than two dollars (except for "special items") and are normally in excellent condition. I have come to look forward to this semi-annual pilgrimage. Through it I have built an immense book collection that is one of the great joys of my life, and I have come to know other "regulars" over the years and hope to catch up on their lives. Nothing builds intimacy more than climbing over each other in tight spaces in a bookmobile bay, open on each side, with all manner of weather testing our resolve and sanity. This weekend, as I have so many times before, I was surrounded by people who are "successful" in the world they inherited after traditional schooling. I know this because, in between elbowing each other, we talk. My companions are fellow professors, engineers, doctors, lawyers, business leaders, etc.
They are, some of them, also quite miserable.
When thinking about our reading for this blog and contemplating the accelerated integration of technology into education, a common phrase that passes through the open ends of my mind is "successful for the world they will enter." Many of my fellow book lovers have achieved that kind of success in some measure, but it is not enough. They take anti-depressives, go to therapy sessions, and agonize over the meaning of it all. I wonder if we should be asking another question in addition to the one that Hamilton poses: "How will we teach students to understand and make peace with the human condition - both in their own lives and in the world?" And, if we really want more bang for our buck: "How will we teach students to improve the human condition both for themselves and in the world?" I don't know that I have the answer, but I am fairly certain that it will not be found at the end of a USB cord. The capitalistic paradigm that so completely controls human existence in the West wants us to believe that education is only worthwhile if it helps us to compete, individually and nationally, in a world market economy. Perhaps I am antiquated, but I still hold out this silly, naive hope that I will instill in my students a love of knowledge for its own sake, without the base alloy of utilitarianism. Maybe I will even show them that, beyond the feel of a book in your hands, there is something within that is valuable - that is worth pursuing - even if I cannot guarantee that it will add one penny to their bank account or secure the next rung on the ladder of success.
A fellow beat me to the education section of the sale this time. He had already filled up a huge tub with books by the time I arrived. He had his cell phone out with its handy bar code scanner application rifling through the stacks. Many such entrepreneurs have invaded the sale in recent years, pushing people like me to the side who are buying these outmoded, antique packages of knowledge for something other than resell and capitalistic gain. It is sad in a way.
But at least he is "successful".
Hamilton, P. (2012, November 21). Technology in education. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXyCECMxhOs&ebc=ANyPxKr_iIHperyrcQxAXM67OL8Et7IUquHBJCQjc3mFtSJ_ZC3EaHJl8viVtan5BJ0L7mGlAXmeSeJh-XPnjSKJ4NXm071WGg
Horn, M. (2015, January 23). Ending the classroom factory model: How technology will personalize education. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXyCECMxhOs&ebc=ANyPxKr_iIHperyrcQxAXM67OL8Et7IUquHBJCQjc3mFtSJ_ZC3EaHJl8viVtan5BJ0L7mGlAXmeSeJh-XPnjSKJ4NXm071WGg
Raj Dhingra
 |
| Source: www.youtube.com |
Silicone Valley's Raj Dhingra embraces many of Horn's basic principles, such as blended learning, and makes the case that technology can "tear down walls" and "unlock the power of student-centered learning (Dhingra, 2012). Programs that infuse money into education, and even technology itself, if not implemented wisely, will not result in better education for students (Dhingra, 2012). In his TEDBlend talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0s_M6xKxNc), he explores several "myths" in education including the notion that increasing Internet access and simply parking computers in classrooms will improve learning. To Dhingra, training is the key (Dhingra, 2012).
Paul Hamilton
For a quick-draw on the challenges of technology, an excellent source is Paul Hamilton's YouTube video "Technology and Education" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXyCECMxhOs&ebc=ANyPxKr_iIHperyrcQxAXM67OL8Et7IUquHBJCQjc3mFtSJ_ZC3EaHJl8viVtan5BJ0L7mGlAXmeSeJh-XPnjSKJ4NXm071WGg). Hamilton founded the company Learning Technologies and has published widely on the subject of integrating applications into curriculum and teaching. Borrowing from a central premise of the work of John Dewey, Hamilton posits that educators must ask themselves: "What world will my students enter and what tools will they need to be successful in it?" (Hamilton, 2012).
 |
| Source: www.youtube.com |
While I certainly go along with the inevitability of technology saturating our educational curriculum and pedagogy in the coming years, and I see the many advantages of synchronous and asynchronous learning communities, I cannot help but have some reservations that are best summarized by an experience that I had this weekend.
The Pilgrimage
One or twice a year, since the 1980's, I have faithfully gone to the Durham County Public Library Book Sale. The books, discontinued by the library and/or donated by patrons, cost no more than two dollars (except for "special items") and are normally in excellent condition. I have come to look forward to this semi-annual pilgrimage. Through it I have built an immense book collection that is one of the great joys of my life, and I have come to know other "regulars" over the years and hope to catch up on their lives. Nothing builds intimacy more than climbing over each other in tight spaces in a bookmobile bay, open on each side, with all manner of weather testing our resolve and sanity. This weekend, as I have so many times before, I was surrounded by people who are "successful" in the world they inherited after traditional schooling. I know this because, in between elbowing each other, we talk. My companions are fellow professors, engineers, doctors, lawyers, business leaders, etc.
They are, some of them, also quite miserable.
 |
| Source: https://durhamcountylibrary.org/2016/04/2016-spring-book-sale-april-15-17/ |
When thinking about our reading for this blog and contemplating the accelerated integration of technology into education, a common phrase that passes through the open ends of my mind is "successful for the world they will enter." Many of my fellow book lovers have achieved that kind of success in some measure, but it is not enough. They take anti-depressives, go to therapy sessions, and agonize over the meaning of it all. I wonder if we should be asking another question in addition to the one that Hamilton poses: "How will we teach students to understand and make peace with the human condition - both in their own lives and in the world?" And, if we really want more bang for our buck: "How will we teach students to improve the human condition both for themselves and in the world?" I don't know that I have the answer, but I am fairly certain that it will not be found at the end of a USB cord. The capitalistic paradigm that so completely controls human existence in the West wants us to believe that education is only worthwhile if it helps us to compete, individually and nationally, in a world market economy. Perhaps I am antiquated, but I still hold out this silly, naive hope that I will instill in my students a love of knowledge for its own sake, without the base alloy of utilitarianism. Maybe I will even show them that, beyond the feel of a book in your hands, there is something within that is valuable - that is worth pursuing - even if I cannot guarantee that it will add one penny to their bank account or secure the next rung on the ladder of success.
A fellow beat me to the education section of the sale this time. He had already filled up a huge tub with books by the time I arrived. He had his cell phone out with its handy bar code scanner application rifling through the stacks. Many such entrepreneurs have invaded the sale in recent years, pushing people like me to the side who are buying these outmoded, antique packages of knowledge for something other than resell and capitalistic gain. It is sad in a way.
But at least he is "successful".
References:
Dhingra, R. (2012, June 15). Can technology change education? Yes! [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0s_M6xKxNcHamilton, P. (2012, November 21). Technology in education. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXyCECMxhOs&ebc=ANyPxKr_iIHperyrcQxAXM67OL8Et7IUquHBJCQjc3mFtSJ_ZC3EaHJl8viVtan5BJ0L7mGlAXmeSeJh-XPnjSKJ4NXm071WGg
Horn, M. (2015, January 23). Ending the classroom factory model: How technology will personalize education. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXyCECMxhOs&ebc=ANyPxKr_iIHperyrcQxAXM67OL8Et7IUquHBJCQjc3mFtSJ_ZC3EaHJl8viVtan5BJ0L7mGlAXmeSeJh-XPnjSKJ4NXm071WGg
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